A malfunctioning gate at the railroad crossing in front of the Auburn Correctional Facility on State Street played havoc on traffic Wednesday afternoon.

Auburn police were dispatched to reroute traffic at 3:06 p.m., while technicians from Fingerlakes Rail Road attempted to reset the gates.

There was no immediate cause for the malfunction, but police said it was not uncommon for the gates on North Street, State Street and York Street to malfunction every three to four months, causing traffic problems.